A long break in the schedule could have forced UCLA men’s volleyball out of rhythm heading into the final weeks of the regular season.
The 13-day break in play, however, didn’t slow the No. 1 Bruins (21-3, 15-3 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) as they extended their six-match winning streak to eight. Upon returning to the floor, they won two conference matchups at the No. 10 Cal State Northridge Matadors and the No. 5 Long Beach State 49ers.
“Having that break really helped us,” said sophomore outside hitter Jake Arnitz. “That break and rest period was really great for some of us to let our minds go free.”
The break in the schedule came with finals approaching and UCLA on a hot streak of nonconference wins. MPSF play resumed Thursday of spring break.
“I think you do have a clearer head, as well, because the academic stress abates just a little,” said coach John Speraw. “So hopefully now we’ve got the kinks out so we can focus on volleyball and the beginning of the quarter.”
Shaking off the rust has been a small area of concern for UCLA this season. The team has had three breaks of at least five days, and it lost two of the three matches that resumed play. The Bruins will have to improve upon that if they are to make it deep into the playoffs.
First, though, comes a daunting regular season stretch, which will see UCLA go up against three of the top teams in the country: No. 3 BYU, No. 4 Stanford and No. 6 Pepperdine.
“Coming back from break, you’re always going to be a little bit rusty,” said redshirt sophomore middle blocker Eric Sprague. “So those first couple practices were mainly focused on controlling the ball and making sure we got our touch back.”
Currently locked in a three-way tie for first place in the MPSF with the Cougars and Cardinal, the Bruins said they had no illusions about how important the final stretch of the season is.
“Once we got back, we knew it was crunch time,” Arnitz said. “We knew we needed to get in the right mindset.”
The break in play has proved a blessing for the Bruins so far in spring quarter, and they look to take their No. 1 national ranking into the MPSF playoffs and possibly the NCAA Tournament. The last time UCLA took a No. 1 ranking into the regular season finale was 11 years ago.
“It’s about how quickly you can get back to playing sharp volleyball,” Speraw said. “And I think we’ve done a nice job with that.”